beverage company and sales topped $10 million. tomorrow we go deep into pakistan for the look at whether the use of drones in that country is creating a new generation of terrorists. i'm jake tapper and i leave you with wolf blitzer in "the situation room". jake, thanks very much. happening now a break through deal on background checks that could let gun legislation move forward but there's still plenty of opposition in congress and beyond. this hour i'll speak with gun owners of america larry pratt. what is it like to go through the existing federal background check. see how chris cuomo buys a gun himself. she's a high-profile victim of gun violence, gabrielle giffords and her husband talk about what their life is like right now. i'm wolf blitzer, this is the situation room special report, guns under fire.

it's being hailed as a break through a bipartisan compromise that could possibly lead to expanded background checks on gun purchases. but after the slaughter of 20 first graders and six educators it spurred a drive to crack down on gun violence. we're devoting this hour to the gun control battle and we begin with our chief congressional correspondent, dana bash who has the very latest. >> reporter: you're right. after the sandy hook shooting there was a lot of talk of assault weapons ban, limiting high capacity magazines. that would be limiting lawful gun owners ability to buy guns and that kind of thing is very difficult to pass through congress. that's why supporters of this new compromise to expand background checks hope that this has a chance, especially if you don't call it gun control.

two senators with a ratings from the nra appealed directly to their fellow gun owners. their message expanding background checks on gun sales is common sense. >> we're not from infringing on the rights of individual citizens. >> the common ground rests on a simple proposition and that is that criminals and dangerously mentally ill shouldn't have guns. >> we know, for example, from polling that universal background checks are universally supported just about. >> reporter: their bipartisan legislation falls short of the universal background checks the president is calling for. it would expand mandatory background checks to gun shows and internet sales but not to other private sales. gun sellers have to keep a record of the sale but a nod to some gun owners concerns about civil liberties it bans the

federal government from creating a national registry. parents of children killed in newtown have been lobbying senators for two days. the sandy hook tragedy had already spurred these senators to act. >> nobody here, i mean not one of us in this great, great capital of ours with a good conscience could not sit by and try to prevent a day like that happening again. >> background checks are not a cure all. >> pat toomey out front is considered critical for passage although he represents the moderate state of pennsylvania he's a conservative republican, expected to bring others on board. gun rights and other conservative groups wasted no time blasting toomey. one called him a sell out. and the nra issued a less personal statement but one dripping with disappointment saying quote expanding background checks at gun shows will not prevent the next shooting, will not solve violent crime and will not keep our kids

safe in schools. democrat joe manchin says he hopes his fellow nra members will look beyond the opposition of its leadership. >> nra has been the benchmark, it's the one we look torkswards. >> my wife disagreed with me and i still love her. >> reporter: now to sweeten the deal manchin and toomey added some things that gun owners and those groups have long championed things like lifting restriction on interstate travel and a commission to look into mental health and other things that might cause violence that people use guns with. when you look at the number here, the votes, manchin says he does believe that they are going to have 60 votes, that's what is necessary to pass this measure then, of course, passing the overall gun legislation in the senate. the big unknown is that but also what happens in the house which is led by republicans. >> let's say it gets through the senate and gets through the

senate impressively, what happens in the house of representatives where the republicans, dana, as you know have a significant majority? >> reporter: most people in the house are sort of holding their tongue. they are not saying which way it's going to go. i think the reason for that is because of the word you used impressive. if there is a very large vote ultimately for gun legislation, whatever it looks like it will be hard for republicans who run the house not bring that you want. it passes on a more partisan level picking off just a few republicans it will be more of a question mark whether house republican leaders will bring this up or something slightly different. >> a fierce debate as we know. thanks very much. if a compromise on expanded background checks does make it through congress it will be a pretty weak substitute for what the president of the united states originally proposed more sweeping ban on all sorts of weapons but still too much for gun owners of america. that organization has been

pressing lawmakers who may have wavered on this emotional issue of background checks. larry pratt is the executive director of the organization. he's here in the situation room right now. larry thanks for coming in. all of the recent polls including our cnn/orc poll when we asked do you support tougher background checks for gun purchases in our new poll 76% favor it, 14% pose. quinnipiac poll, cbs news poll 90% saying they support expanding significantly expanding background checks. 0-pose any expansion don't you? >> if a constitutional amendment part of the constitution is up for grabs for public opinion that's one thing perhaps. but we're not really talking about that. we're talking about polls. >> 90% of the american people -- >> we're talking about polls that have also said that something like 80% of nra and gao members are in favor of this legislation. when we polled our members we

got an overwhelming. >> you have 300,000 members in your organization. >> we had a huge response saying -- >> because these are the -- your supporters think the national rifle association is too moderate. >> only 5% of the nra members supported it when they were polled. when you ask the people involved, maybe we have a reason to suspect how these polls are put together. >> but there are background checks and you don't believe the existing background checks violate the second aemt to the constitution so an expansion. >> think they do. >> but the courts disagree with you. the supreme court disagrees with you. >> the supreme court was wrong about dred scott. the supreme court has been wrong on other occasions in the past. we're saying this is gun registration. the federal government tells dealers when they use an internet portal this information becomes permanent to the federal government. >> do you believe criminals, felon, terrorist, mentally ill people should be able to go to a gun shop or gun show or go to an

individual and buy a weapon without any background check? >> no we think they should be in jail or an institution. >> what if they are not? >> that's the fault of a liberal criminal justice system. >> they never committed a crime -- they have a mental illness never committed a crime. how do you check that? >> you mean like the dirt bag in newtown? i'm answering your question with this set up because the murderer of newtown killed his mother, took her guns, didn't bother with a background check. >> there's no one saying that background checks are going eliminate all gun violence in the united states but what's wrong with making it more difficult? >> because the background check is national gun registration. and all that's on the table right now is to make that more comprehensive gun registration scheme than we've already had. >> joe manchin who has a good record with the nra, pat toomey republican of pennsylvania have introduced this compromise legislation today, an excellent record with the nra, they

support the second aemendment t the constitution. why are they wrong? >> it's so easy to say you support the second amendment. i heard senator schumer say that. he wants more gun control than perhaps anybody on capitol hill. their affirmation of the second amendment -- >> if you support the first amendment to the constitution free speech but you can't cry fire in a crowded theater. >> that's an actual crime. that's not a prior restraint on the use -- >> killing someone with a gun is not a crime? >> that's a crime. you're talking about prior restraint. we didn't have to go through a sensor before going on this show but what you're proposing is doing that and keep a registry of it. >> may senator toomey experience in 2016 the same as he did to senator specter of pennsylvania in 2010. what kind of a threat is that? >> it means that he ought to be held politically accountable and the way to do it is in the

prirms. >> because he supports expanding background checks you think his voters should kick him out of office. >> we're making that argument. >> you're going after him aggressively. >> we're looking for a viable candidate. >> even though 90% of american people weather him. >> we already had discussion about how credible those polls are. >> those polls are very credible. >> the orc poll very credible, cbs news poll, quinnipiac university poll. >> not when it says a huge majority of gun owners -- >> they were talking about the american public. our poll asked -- the american people where do they stand. >> your polls or hokum. >> any senator democrat or republican who votes for the toomey/manchin compromise you'll go after politically? >> yes. remember 1994. that's when the democrats thought they could get away with it. they believed your polls and -- >> what about the fox news

polls? >> i'm not sure i believe any polls at this time. i don't think they know how to ask the right questions. >> larry pratt is the director of gun owners of america. >> we want to hear from you our viewers as well. do you support -- do you support an expansion of back ground checks for gun sales if leave a comment on our president bush page. or send us a tweet at cnn. we'll reveal some of your responses later this hour. when we come back 25 minutes, that's all it took for chris cuomo to undergo a background check and purchase a gun. we'll go inside the process to explain what it's all about. and gabrielle giffords tells us how she's rebuilding her life. and in our next hour the north korean crisis as the world waits for a missile launch, the u.s. has a warning of its own.

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so what's it like to go through the existing federal background check when making a gun purchase. cnn's chris cuomo got some firsthand experience doing just that. >> what can i do for you? >> i'm looking for home protection shotgun. >> okay. >> reporter: seemed simple but there's more to it than you might think. every purchase from a licensed dealer requires a federal background check. are you under indictment no. convicted of any flown. no. 27 personal questions including criminal and mental health history all requiring government confirmation. add potential state and city laws thousands across the country and it could feel like an obstacle course. >> there's a background check for the rifle. then a pistol license. >> reporter: this pales in comparison the pain the nation felt on december 14th in

newtown, connecticut. the most vulnerable victimized by dangerous weapons in the wrong sick hands. cnn's latest poll shows people want it to stop. calls to do something resulting in demands for expanded background checks despite the fact they wouldn't have stopped the newtown shooter. >> we know that background checks can work but the problem is loopholes in the current law let so many people avoid background checks all together. >> reporter: gun control advocates want all gun sales not just those by dealers subject to background checks. >> this background check law we're talking about is enforcing the law. >> reporter: colin works for the brady center for gun viles. he's a gun viles victim shot four times at virginia tech six years ago. >> how are you supposed to know if somebody has a felony record. how do you know if somebody has a restraining order or dangerous

mental illness without doing a background check. >> reporter: gun rights advocates fear checking all sales could lead to a national gun registry and maybe confiscation. the larger concern making it harder to buy a gun lawfully may not stop massacres and handgun viles. before owning this long island gun store the owner was a police officer for 11 years. >> in your experience as a cop did that hold true? >> in 11 years i never had a legal license see use his firearm in a crime. trip to nearly 2 million people denied guns is proof of effectiveness. >> most of those people it turns out were not on prohibitive lists, most were false positive, their names look like somebody else, there were records in there incomplete. the first thing you have to do is take the sum have and get it fixed and make it work. >> reporter: mike says the big issue isn't the law but enforcement. >> if somebody comes in and hell bent on buying a gun we let them

fill out the form and they failed. then in a perfect world alcohol, tobacco firearms will arrest that person. current laws on the books would make this the safest state in the union. >> reporter: in my case the system worked. after 25 minutes of completing forms and waiting for approval i had my shotgun. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: chris cuomo, cnn. >> with background checks have stopped the more notorious shootings? also the first lady of the united states, michelle obama she steps into the fight over gun control with a very emotional story about her own upbringing in a city racked by violence. for the little mishaps you feel, use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs so you heal four days faster neosporin. also try neosporin eczema essentials.

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minutes after today's compromise on background checks was announced the national rifle association put out a statement complaining that they don't always work. we're talking about background checks in part it says this. the sad truth is that no background check would have prevented the tragedies in new tu town, aurora or tucson. >> there are some other gun control proposals that might have had more of an impact on the recent mass shootings like tracking ining ammunition sales. it doesn't look like the new background check proposals would have helped a lot. mass shootings like in newtown, connecticut have horrified the nation and spurred unprecedented

support for universal background checks in gun sales. >> the only issue i can think of where 90% of the american people agree. >> looking back at recent history it's not clear that expanded background checks would have prevented the killings. take the shooter in newtown, adam lanza didn't own the guns he used. >> you had a guy who stole the guns from his mother. so none of these things would have changed that. >> and what about the theater shooting in aurora, colorado, alleged shooter james holmes pass ad background check. in arizona jared loughner pass ad background check too. he shot congresswoman gabrielle giffords and 18 other people killing six. national rifle association president david keen says you have to go back to this murder scene in 2007 to show where background checks clearly should have made a difference. >> the one shooter that might have been prevented by

background checks and was not was the virginia tech shooter. because he had, in fact, been adjudicated to be potentially violent. >> he had been found mentally ill by a court and should have been denied sale but slipped through the cracks anyway. the state changed its laws to keep it from happening again. advocates of universal checks say it would push more gun sales into the current instant check system weeding out more dangerous buyers. >> this just takes that and carry to it gun shows and internet sales and things like that. so, of course, it will have an effect. >> the critics say the current background check system needs to be fixed before expanding it. >> there's literally tens or hundreds of thousands of additional folks who have been adjudicated through due process through the courts who should never possess or own firearms due to mental illness. >> that's the biggest debate

over the dangerous mentally ill. a psychiatrist said james holmes was a danger to the public but no court declared him mentally ill and never came up. this latest senate proposal would likely not stop another james holmes because it doesn't change the legal standard for red flagging dangerous mentally ill people. >> potentially it would make it more difficult not perfect but a little more difficult for bad people to get weapons. >> that's the bottom line. if you make it a little bit more difficult and you bring more names of more people trying to buy guns into the system then there's a greater chance that you're going to be able to catch the individual who needs to be caught. >> joe johns reporting for us. up next the first lady, she tearfully recalls the shooting death of a young chicago girl and her own upbringing in an often violent city. a high-profile victim of gun viles the former congresswoman gabrielle giffords and her husband tell us what their life

is like right now. this is a cnn exclusive.

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happening now, the first lady michelle obama talks gun violence and gets very emotional. she's choking up, why she says one chicago teen killed in a shooting could have been her. also a cnn exclusive interview with gabrielle giffords the former congresswoman and her husband mark kelley talk about their new normal two years since the tucson massacre. the pentagon warns north korea is quote skating very close to a dangerous line. our special report on the crisis in north korea, that is just ahead at the top of the hour. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in the situation room. president obama's ambitious gun control agenda being reduced to a deal on expanding background checks.

even that bipartisan effort isn't guaranteed to make it through both houses of congress. joining us now are chief white house correspondent jessica yellin, our chef political analyst gloria borger and candy crowley the host of c nmpb nmpnf the union. what your hearing from the white house. they issued a nice statement about this compromise on background checks but they must be "starting point"ed they are not getting more. >> frankly, wolf, they are okay with this compromise because the president has been the one to push democrats to cut a deal and not let the enemy be the perfect of the good so to speak. the line that i found noteworthy in the president's statement saying this is not my bill. if i had done something, if it was mine i would have done something different. giving republicans the ability to vote for this and not make it be a vote for an obama proposal because it gives them a lot of cover if it's an obama bill they are not going like it. the president has personally gotten on the phone and dialed

republican senators and some democratic senators who are fence sitters to break this filibuster. >> he's having a dinner with a dozen republican senators. we'll see if this comes out. you know the president he didn't want to have expanded back ground checks he wanted a ban on assault type weapons. >> they knew that was a reach. >> high capacity magazines. >> they went for the moon but knew that was a reach. right now the sense you get from the president's public statements, from what aides say privately is send me something so i can sign a bill. they don't want to spend forever -- they want this bill. they know realistically what they get. >> look there are democrats who want to get this off the table too because there are half a dozen democrats who are in the senate who are up for re-election in pro gun states. and so if you have a compromise like this that they can vote for with the cover of someone like pat toomey a republican they

want to vote for it and then move on and so if i were at the white house as jess says -- >> vote and go home. it's a step in the right direction but not everything clearly they wanted. here's some poll numbers in our brand new poll. should the federal government use background checks create a list of gun owners, 44% said yes, 55% said no. if government creates a list of gun owners will it use that information to take away guns. 66% said yes, 32% said no. clearly, candy, there's a fear of government in all of this by a majority of americans. it's mistrust of government. not so much fear but a total mistrust about what they want to do. it's a slippery slope. this has been the argument. it's not the background checks. by law those background checks that are done by the federal government have to be destroyed, deleted whatever they have to do

to them -- the background check, right. the background check that they asked about destroys that information. what gun owners are afraid of is the paper work of the sale, that takes place at these gun shows. it already takes place in gun shops, licensed gun dealers. and so what they don't like is that now this also creates more paper work and there is, yes, this concern that this is just the beginning and that eventually even though it's not federalized it's not hooked up in one big information system it can to be done. >> they essentially believe the government is not going manage it properly which is why when you had this, this compromise today on guns specifically they had, to they spelled out what the bill will not do and one of the things the bill will not do is it will not create a national registry and makes it illegal.

>> the big fear is if there's a national registry the federal government will knock on everyone's door. there won be a national registry. >> the white house is making a major push this week. the president, vice president, the first lady. the debate will go on for a while and then move on the house. will the president continue to be out front? >> yes. the president and the white house will continue pushing, wolf. we can try to ding the president on other issues. on this issue i talked to very aggressive pro gun control groups. >> there's a divide between those who have guns and those who don't. do you favor stricter gun control laws. among those individuals who do have a gun in their household 32% favor 66% oppose. if there's no gun in the

household 71% favor, 28% oppose. there clearly is a divide. >> there's a divide that way. there's a divide geographically if you live in a more rural area you're a little bit more worried about this because you're more likely to own a gun and it goes back to the point that candy was making earlier about this question of government overreach. and if you have a gun you tend to believe okay the government then is going to get involved in everything else and i don't trust them, i don't want that registry. >> listen to trerk of some of these politicians. governor malloy said this is the beginning. listen to senator diane feinstein who won't get her assault weapons ban in place we'll just keep at it. they hear this. >> at least for now they won't get it. >> let me point out about a third of american households are gun owners so it's not an insignificant group of people. >> a million guns out there in the country right now.

all right thanks very much. just ahead a democrat who may become a political casualty of the gun debate. our special report also coming up at the top of the hour on the korean crisis that begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern with a new u.s. warning that north korea right now in the words of the defense secretary chuck hagel and he's not one to exaggerate threats skating dangerously close to a very dangerous line. zap. it's our fastest and easiest way to get you into your car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. by going low. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 like offering schwab etfs tdd# 1-800-345-2550 with the lowest operating expenses tdd# 1-800-345-2550 in their respective lipper categories -- tdd# 1-800-345-2550 lower than ishares tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and vanguard. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and with all our etfs commission-free tdd# 1-800-345-2550 when traded online in a schwab account, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it leaves our investors with more money to invest. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 something they've come to count on with us. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so as investors continue to set their portfolio goals high, tdd# 1-800-345-2550

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this just coming into "the situation room". we're following a developing story in suburban atlanta

another incident involving a gun. a s.w.a.t. team now is on the scene of a barricaded gunman, gunman's home or at least a barricaded gunman some place who has taken five firefighters hostage. it's happening in swannee, georgia. we're told the fire department responded to a residence for some type of medical call, we're getting more information from our local affiliates, we're getting some reporters and producers on the scene as well. we'll update you with more information once we get it. across the country there may be a ground swell of public opinion in favor of expanding back ground checks for gun purchases but politics is still very, very local and when you're a vulnerable democrat, gun control can be a risky political business. our national political correspondent jim acosta is coming into "the situation room" with one specific example, share with our viewers. >> facing a tough re-election in a red state democratic senator mary landru told cnn it really

doesn't matter roughly 90% of americans want universal background checks. in a remarkably honest admission from a politician she said she's more focused on the poll numbers in her own state. >> just right now i want to you point and shoot. >> at this louisiana gun range, meredith timberlake is learning how to aim and shoot. she says lessons not new gun laws will keep her safe. >> bad guys are still going to have guns. i'm going to have a gun too. >> her train certificate all about the second aemt too but after the recent rash of mass shootings across the country this retired marine would like to see background checks expanded to gun shows and internet sales. >> i think that we should be doing that anyway. i don't think -- >> that doesn't infringe on anybody's rights. >> i don't feel it does. >> all of that may explain why in gun loving louisiana, mary landru a democrat up for re-election is not quite ready to pull the trigger on

background checks. >> up haven't decided -- >> haven't seen the bills. until i see the bills then i'll decide how i'll vote but there's no question about my support for the second amendment. >> she's a handful of endangered democrats in 2014. their favor of background checks could cost them the seats. one top gun control group has been airing this ad in louisiana. >> tell congress don't protect criminals. >> when 90% of the american people say we want universal background checks how can you be against that? >> i'm not against it. >> how can you be undecided. >> first of all i'm not the president of the united states i'm a senator from louisiana so i'll follow what the people in my state want me to do on that issue. >> when you see so much support out there across the country for this one provision doesn't that give you pause? >> you know, i don't know if you understand as a senator from a state, senators really look at what their states think and

that's what our job is. >> the number may not be the same? >> i don't know what the number is in louisiana. >> she has good reason to worry about the numbers. take it from mike meyer the owner of the gun range. >> we love our firearms and any vote against that is definitely going to affect her re-election abilities no doubt. >> you've been regarded as one of the endangered democrats in red states in 2014. do you see yourself that way? >> no i don't. i'm targeted every time. >> she's won every time. she has yet to weigh in on the bipartisan background check from senators pat toomey and manchin. >> she's got a delicate political situation, a bunch of other democrats have a delicate political situation. they are up for re-election in 2014. they are nervous. >> they are nervous and mary landru most of all. she represents louisiana. on one side you have new orleans

with a high crime rate. on the other hand very rural areas of her state after all it is the sportsman's paradise as they call it down there in louisiana no surprise she's unsaid to on this issue and undecided right now on this bipartisan proposal that came out earlier today. no word yet from her office. >> thanks for that report. the first lady stepped into the gun debate. stay right here. you'll hear what michelle obama had to say to an audience in her home town of chicago. she got very emotional. later the defense secretary of the united states issues a tough brand new warning to north korea. our special report on the korean crisis. that begins right at the top of the hour.

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one of the major architects of this latest compromise on expanding background checks is a gun supporter from a pro gun state. democratic senator joe manchin of west virginia grew emotional today as he talked about meeting with families of the newtown, connecticut massacre, victims up on capitol hill. >> what do we have to do specifically? >> uh -- i'm a parent.

i'm a parent. let's all share. i can't imagine. >> obviously very, very moving for the senator. everyone else in that room totally understandable given the horrors that those folks have gone through and more emotion from the first lady michelle obama. she told a deeply personal story of her own upbringing in a city that struggled with gun violence. in chicago today the first lady compared her childhood to that young teen who was murdered after returning from a visit to washington during the president's inauguration.

>> we all know her story. she was 15 years old. she came from a good family. two devoted parents, present i of cousins, and adoring little brother. the pendletons are hard working people. they're church going folks. and hadiya's mother did everything she could for her daughter. she enrolled her in everything she could imagine, anything to keep her off the streets and keep her busy. and as i visited with the pendleton family at her funeral, i couldn't get over how familiar they felt to me. because what i realized was hadiya's family was just like my family. hadiya pendleton was me, and i was her.

but i got to grow up and go to princeton, and harvard law school, and have a career and a family, and the most blessed life i could ever imagine. and hadiya, oh, we know that story. just a week after she performed at my husband's inauguration, she went to a park with some friends. and got shot in the back. because some kid thought she was in a gang. hadiya's family did everything right. but she still didn't have a chance. and that story, the story of hadiya's life and death, we read that story day after day, month after month, year after year, in the city and around this country. so i'm not talking about something that's happening in a war zone halfway around the world. i am talking about what's happening in the city that we call home. the city where we're raising our

kids. the city where your businesses operate. this kind of violence is what so many young people like hadiya pendleton are dealing with every single day. and those two boys charged with her shooting, this is the violence they were facing as well. and you have to wonder, what if, instead of roaming around with guns, boys like them had access to a computer lab, or community center, or some decent basketball courts. maybe everything would have turned out differently. maybe they would be doing their homework, or taking jump shots or learning a new program instead of looking for trouble. maybe if these kids saw some kind of decent future for themselves instead of shootings, there would just be fist fights. some angry words exchanged.

and then maybe, just maybe, today more of our young people would be in classrooms and at jobs instead of in custody, facing even worse odds than they started out with. see, at the end of the day, this is the point i want to make. that resources matter. they matter. that what it takes to build strong, successful young people isn't genetics, or pedigree, or good luck, it's opportunity. and i know from my own experience, i started out with exactly the same aptitude, exactly the same intellectual, emotional capabilities as so many of my peers. and the only thing that separated me from them was that i had a few more advantages than some of them did. i had adults who pushed me. i had activities that engaged

me, schools that prepared me to succeed. i had a community that supported me. and a neighborhood where i felt safe. and in the end, that was the difference between growing up and becoming a lawyer, a mother, and first lady of the united states, and being shot dead at the age of 15. we need to show them, not just with words, but with action, that they are not alone in this struggle. we need to show them that we believe in them, and we need -- >> powerful words from the first lady of the united states, indeed. she's getting emotional. a lot of people getting very, very emotional as far as gun violence if the united states is concerned. and we're just getting this information in from the majority leader in the u.s. senate. take a look at this. this just coming in. harry reid saying, there will be

a vote to break the republican filibuster on gun control tomorrow morning, 11:00 a.m. eastern. they will need 60 votes to break the republican filibuster, from some republican senators that vote 11:00 a.m. eastern. widespread expectations that there will be 60 votes, when you add the 55 democrats and a few republicans who will vote to break that filibuster. they expect that filibuster will be broken. much more on that coming up. when we come back, i hear this hour in "the situation room," we have a cnn exclusive. the former congresswoman gabrielle giffords tells our own dana bash about life since being shot. at the top of the hour, special edition of "the situation room," the north korean crisis.

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luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. [ male announcer ] engine light on? come to meineke now for a free code scan read and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke. exclusive right now, dana bash, spent two days with gabrielle giffords. >> in your recovery process, do you want to find and discover the old gabby giffords, or do you want to sort of rediscover another new gabby giffords? >> stronger.

stronger, better, tougher. stronger, better, tougher. >> for giffords and kelly, a retired astronaut and space shuttle commander, this is the new normal. >> it's different in good ways, too. in a lot of good ways. >> like living and working together now. >> just looking forward to making a change this fall. >> before she was shot, they had a commuter marriage. she jetted between her congressional district in tucson, arizona, and work in washington, d.c. he lived in houston, texas, where he worked at the space center. this is the first home they've bought and lived in together. another plus, before giffords was shot, she had a rocky relationship with kelly's two teenage daughters from a previous marriage. >> but the sort of tense relationship that you had with your daughters, that's changed. >> yes, changed. >> so that's a positive. >> yes, yes. >> a lot better. >> a lot better. >> they've also grown up a little bit, too.

as a family, we've evolved. because of certainly -- certainly because of what happened. so it's brought us all closer together. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. this is "the situation room" special report, the north korean crisis. happening now, kim jong-un keeps the world on edge. his missiles could launch literally at any moment. and there are new signs he won't stop with just one provocation. plus, cnn's rare visit to the dividing line between north and south korea. it's the most mill tarrized border on the planet, where the threat of war is very real. and like something out of the and like something out of the movie "the godfather." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we begin the hour with the

warnings from the defense secretary of the united states. the communist leader could order a missile test launch at any moment. we're being told that the north koreans are military masters of deception, who may have something else up their sleeves as well. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining us now with the very latest. barbara? >> well, wolf, military masters of deception indeed. and new indications that the north koreans, they have some other plans up their sleeve. defense secretary chuck hagel's message to kim jong-un and his north korean regime, enough is enough. >> with its bellicose rhetoric, skating close to a dangerous line. >> reporter: in the hours before an expected north korean missile test, hagel made clear the u.s. military is ready to respond. >> our country is fully prepared

to deal with any contingency, any action that north korea may take, or any provocation. >> reporter: the joint chiefs chairman offering a grim assessment of how close north korea is to putting a nuclear warhead on a missile. a direct threat to the u.s. >> in the absence of concrete evidence to the contrary, we have to assume the worst case. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence indicates the regime in the last few days may have moved several short-range missile launchers around the country. that's on top of the two intermediate range mobile missiles it parked along its east coast. the u.s. worries multiple missile launches are the first of more provocative actions by the north. no one has forgotten the 2010 shelling of a south korean island by north korea. >> we may see a succession of things to try to make this point

that they are a strong and prosperous nation, and try to coerce the international community back into negotiations. >> reporter: kim jong-un, victor cha says, may feel compelled to act. >> they have pushed the rhetoric up so high now, that to do nothing, they would really look like a paper tiger. >> and hagel says that kim jong-un's regime is now so unpredictable, that the u.s. simply has no choice but to prepare for whatever may come. and tonight, the sufficient navy has two ships in key positions, able to shoot down a missile if it comes their way. one is east of japan, the other further in the pacific near guam. wolf? >> and u.s. and south korean troops clearly now on a higher, higher state of alert. barbara, thanks for that report. let's go now to cnn's rare visit to that korean border, the demilitarized zone, or the dmz. the historic buffer between the

north and the south. it was created at the end of the korean war, some 60 years ago. and it could be a front line if -- if -- a new war erupted. cnn's kyung lah has more on what's going on. what else is going on, kyung? >> calle . >> reporter: wolf, when you go to the border, you certainly get a sense of how it feels between the two countries. remember, the korean war ended at armistice. it never really truly ended, and that's apparent at the border with a thin line between these two countries. there is near absolute silence in the most mill tarrized border on the planet. south korean soldiers on the edge of a fight, staring down a sworn enemy, that unblinkingly stares right back. sometimes through binoculars peeking out from windows.

these are actually divided in half. this side south korea, over there, north korea. rules are tight on this military guided press tour. don't linger. don't point. this is cold war, up close. when we talk about tensions on the peninsula, this is about as tense as it gets. south korean soldiers facing off with north korean soldiers, right on the other side, just feet away. it area we're about to enter is actually divided in half. shut down, just so we can come in and capture some pictures. >> please stay within arm's length of the soldiers. >> reporter: the soldiers are here so we don't get grabbed and pulled into north korea. we're only given a few minutes in here. this is technically south korea on this side. to get over to north korea, just on the other side of these

microphones. the next stop is a lookout. you see over there in that tower? that's north korea. you can see the north korean flag flying right there. and that village right underneath, that is what north korea calls the peace village. but south korea refers to it as propaganda village. propaganda, because the u.s. doesn't believe anyone actually lives here. this is all for show. one of the world's most lethal borders is up close, just a fence, barbed wire and a trench. this zone, the dmz, uninhabitable, so untouched that endangered wildlife and plant species soar here. in a bizarre contradiction of the war's edge, tourists are allowed to go view this lookout, where we meet these brothers. >> it's a little surreal knowing just a few hundred yards that way, there are people starving and being tortured and so forth. it's just unreal. >> i had a lot of people asking

me, family friends if i was afraid to come over here. and i, too, knowing the history was like, no, i think it's going to be okay. >> reporter: a peek into a reclusive nation while the world guesses what move it will make next. as tense as it is right up at the border, people who are there frequently at the dmz say they haven't noticed any discernible change, especially on the north. they haven't noticed there's anything that they're doing differently. but remember, wolf, this is where we see the theater of war to avoid real war. wolf? >> kyung, you're back in seoul now. that's only 20 or 30 miles from the demilitarized zones. a city of many, many millions of people. i assume everyone there recognizes they're within easy artillery range of the thousands of artillery pieces the north koreans have just north of the demilitarized zone? >> calle >> reporter: oh, yeah, everybody knows they can get in their car

and in an hour drive up to the dmz. they know this. they grew up with this. and so the idea of being frightened because north korea is going to launch a missile is something you simply cannot live with daily, if you want to try to live here in seoul. there are 11 million people here. they are doing their very best to just live life normally. and if you walk around on the streets here, and you talk to people, they are going to tell you, they are numb, they are tired of north korea, they have seen these missile launches before, they are hoping that everyone is right, that this is going to be a test. and they're just going to continue with their daily lives. >> kyung lah in south korea, thank you very much. a man who knows north korea about as well as anyone, the diplomatic troubleshooter, bill richardson. he was just in north korea in early january. governor, thanks very much for coming in. u.s. intelligence now telling

cnn, north korea may be planning what they call multiple missile launches in the coming, maybe hours or next few days. what is your assessment? >> well, this is very troublesome. there's a lot of bluster, a lot of bluffing. but when there's movements of toss missiles that can be detected, then that means they're up to something. so i don't have any concrete information that they're going to take those tests. but if they do, it basically means this. one, the north korean military, the hardliners of basically won out in terms of a potential power struggle there over the foreign ministry, the civilian types that are in that government. number two, i think it's also reached a stage where kim jong-un has already used this bluster, and strength internally for his domestic purposes.

i mean, you can only do so much. i think he's getting the support that he needs internally. so then the question is, why are they continuing this escalation. there's no sign that at the end of the tunnel, they're ready to negotiate with the united states, or south korea, or japan, or china on more food or fuel. so i think this is very perplexing now, and it's because of the new leadership, perhaps a vacuum of leadership that is happening there. >> u.s. officials who are knowledgeable about what's going on, governor, have suggested two dates that could be significant, april 11th, that's the anniversary of kim jong-un's arrival in power, if you will, in pyongyang, also april 15th, the hundredth birthday of the founder of north korea. these dates are symbolically important. usually they like to do

something on those dates. how worried should we be about these dates? >> well, we should be worried, because they always do something dramatic on those dates. on birthdays, on anniversary deaths. they have many of them around the diety, the father and the son, and the founder kim ill sung. so what you want is to watch very closely what their enattentions are. in the end, i think it's important for everybody to keep cool. the biggest danger here is a misjudgment, a miscalculation on the yellow sea, naval vessels, at the border. you just mentioned the dmz. i think the u.s. military is playing it positively well, basically saying, look, there's going to be a response, a cost if there is an aggressive action. and that's all we can do.

i think there's an internal game, possibly a power struggle going on in north korea with the young leader, not necessarily feeling his oats, but uncertain where to go. >> you were there, in fact, i was there with you for six days in december 2010, when kim jong-il was still in power. you were there more recently in january of this year. you went with the head of google and spent a few days there this year when kim jong-un has been this power. between those two visits, did you sense any real change in north korea? >> well, i thought that the new leader, kim jong-un, would be more diplomatically oriented, more willing to talk to the west. he had been educated in the west. that he would be willing to enter into negotiations. but apparently what happened is when that missile launch failed,

kim jong-un had to show his people that he was strong. had to show his military that he was tough. so these aggressive actions followed. so i saw a positive move more towards negotiations, more towards dialogue, less rhetoric, but now the turbulence has happened since kim jong-un seems to have affirmed his power. so yes, i've been there a lot. you were there. many have been there. but it's just very vexing what is happening. and once again, north korea is showing something very clear. they're unpredictable. you don't know what they're thinking. they don't think like we do. and so it's very difficult to gauge what they're going to do next. >> you're not going to go there anytime soon, are you? >> no. i'm here in santa fe, private citizen. i'm very happy right here. >> good place to be. governor, thanks very much for

coming in. >> thank you, wolf. up next, we've all seen the video of north korea's military on parade. but how well are they actually trained? we're taking a closer look. in japan right now, patriot missiles, they are poised. one city has jumped the gun mistakenly claiming that north korea's missile has launched. we went out and asked people a simple question: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years.

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column upon column of highly disciplined soldiers. this is north korea's massive fighting force and they're

watching what's going on. they're trained specifically to wage war against south korean and american military forces on the korean peninsula. cnn's tom foreman and cnn contributor retired u.s. army general spider marks take a closer look. >> wolf, the cornerstone of everything we've been talking about for the past couple of weeks is the north korean army. general, walk us through the force of this army. >> this is an army that has over about 1 million folks under arms, very large reserve component. mandatory service, from a couple of years up to ten years. >> a large force, particularly large if we think about the size of the area involved. look at this map of the united states. that's where north korea would fit, roughly in the same space as mississippi. so as militaries go, this is a very massive force for a small country. >> but a very paranoid leadership. >> let's talk about the breakdown of that. the if you talk about the leadership, what is the number one quality required of the top military? >> loyalty to the communist party and the leader right here, kim jong-un.

>> the number one quality. what about the special forces? >> very large special forces, very well trained. the best of their military, over 100,000. they can insert by air or by sea. and we estimate that there are stay-behind forces, sleeper agents already located in south korea. >> there's everybody else, this is a massive number of people, are they generally considered to be well trained, good soldiers? >> they are well trained compared to the rest of the population of north korea. they have good nutrition, they have good medical care. they get a lot of training throughout the year, primarily during the winter training cycle. as the spring and summer roll around, they get into the other duties. but they're pretty good. >> i would guess lack of supply, fuel sometimes, things they might limit on. >> the limiting factor is their ability to sustain themselves in comb combat. >> if we look at a normal soldier there, tell me a little bit about this person. what would he be like? >> now, this is where we get into the additional duties. first of all, it's relatively

young. they're all drafted. these additional duties i referred to just a second ago is that these soldiers have to be able to sustain the countryside. north korea was founded on the principle of self-reliance. we have to be able to take care of our own medical, our own trade, our own development, our own infrastructure, our agricultural needs. >> when you fit that in with the modern policy of military first, many of the duties of government fall to this guy. that we might have in different departments, it's all military. >> absolutely correct. >> so road building, many, many things. >> all of that. >> is that a big burden on an army if you're trying to maintain the army for fighting purposes? >> it certainly is. they're distracted as a routine. they can train episodically, but then they have these huge duties. >> wolf? >> tom foreman, thanks to you and to general spider marks. let's go to japan right now. a stunning mistake that may have

created even more anxiety. cnn's diana magnay is joining us from tokyo right now. diana, what happened? >> reporter: hi, wolf. well, the city of yolk a home a accidently sent out a tweet saying north korea had already launched its missile. that tweet stayed up for 20 minutes, sent out to the agency's 42,000 followers. until they realized it was a mistake. apparently it was human error. but obviously very embarrassing for that particular official who sent it out. very embarrassing for the city, too, at a time at least of partially heightened tensions in this country, wolf. >> we've seen the patriot air defense missile batteries in downtown tokyo, if you will, diana. how worried are people there when they see these kinds of missiles, these batteries right in the heart of their city? >> reporter: well, they've seen them before. they've heard this kind of rhetoric coming out of north korea before. it's a bit like what kyung lah

was telling us earlier. the thing is, they're a bit worried about kim jong-un as opposed to his father who was more of a known entity. the message at least from the government is, this is all in hand, we're doing everything that we can to protect the citizens. that said, when we were down at the patriot missiles in the central of tokyo, the minister of defense came in to talk to their unit there, and said, you know, the situation is acute. be prepared to act as soon as the order comes. if you think about it, the time that officials here will have to act is so limited, given how close tokyo is to pyongyang. i think that does, of course, add to a bit of tension amongst the people here. >> diana magnay in tokyo for us. we'll stay in close touch with you. and you'll be able to find out more about north korea's missile capabilities, including an interactive map showing how far each type of the missile could potentially travel. go to our website cnn.com.

still ahead here in our "situation room" special report, the smuggling operation that helps pay for north korea's military, illegal weapons, drugs, and a lot more. and christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria, they are both here as they have been every single day. we're watching what's going on with them. great first gig! let's go! party! awwwww... arigato! we are outta here! party...... finding you the perfect place, every step of the way. hotels.com redesigned site has this new score planner tool with these cool sliders. this one lets us know what happens if someone checks our credit. oh. this one lets us know what happens if we pay off our loans. yeah.

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for a nuclear emergency with north korea, and we've learned, guess what, it didn't go well. kim jong-un's criminal network, the smuggling operation that would make tony soprano proud. new fears about an axis of evil. is north korea helping iran develop nuclear weapons. i'm wolf blitzer. and this is a "situation room" special report, north korean crisis. in north korea, right now, the window is wide open for a missile test literally at any moment. we're told u.s. intelligence suggests there may be multiple launches. the defense secretary of the united states, chuck hagel, is warning that kim jong-un is standing very close to a dangerous line and promises the united states will be ready. >> as we have said many times, our country is fully prepared to deal with any contingency, any

action that north korea may take, or any provocation that they may instigate. and we have contingencies prepared to do that. >> let's bring in our chief international correspondent, christiane amanpour, the anchor of amanpour that airs on cnn international, also our own fareed zakaria, host of fareed zakaria gps which airs on cnn as well. christiane, you and i know chuck hagel, fareed, you know chuck hagel. he is not a guy who speaks provocatively without specific warning, without specific reason. when i heard what he was saying, i sensed he's pretty concerned. >> he is concerned, but rather than ominous, it sounded kind of reassuring. he basically said we have what

it takes to defend our homeland, our allies. and i think that yesterday the admiral in charge of the pacific command, admiral locklear, told congress that of course they would take defensive action if they saw any missile headed in a hostile manner toward allies or u.s. bases in gu all. but he would not suggest shooting down any missiles in inhabited areas, in other words, not targeted in anger. >> what happens, fareed, if they do launch not just one or two, but multiple missiles, and they all go into the pacific ocean, they fly over japan, land if the water. then what is this. >> that's precisely why i think the american plan seems to be at least not precipitously to intercept them and shoot them down. because if these are sort of harmless missile tests that end up in the ocean, perhaps one way

to stop the escalation is not to intercept them. if they do appear to be close to south korea, or to japan, i think that becomes a different matter. the key here, wolf, is probably not really what we are doing to protect ourselves. north korea is really not a threat to the united states. it has no capacity. the nuclear warheads it has are too heavy to sit on these missiles. the missiles are not particularly good. you remember a couple of years ago they tested one and it was a spectacular public failure. the danger is, how will the south koreans and the japanese react. it's all right for us to look at this as a superpower 10,000 miles away. japan is close by, south korea is right there. if they start looking at this and saying, we can't keep relying on the united states for the security umbrella, for this nuclear umbrella, we have to do something, remember, these are very advanced countries. japan in a sense is a few months away from a nuclear bomb, just because they have such a

sophisticated nuclear industry. south korea could get one very easily. what we're trying to do is reassure the japanese and south koreans that, look, we can take care of your security, don't worry, we have the capacity to do what it takes. without getting into all kind of mano-a-mano tit for tat with north korea. >> christiane, do you have a sense of how good u.s. intelligence on north korea may be? i'll tell you, i've heard that the united states has very good reconnaissance satellite photography, communications, electronics intercepts, but not necessarily a good sense of what's going on with kim jong-un and his inner circle, human intelligence, if you will. i wonder what you've heard? >> well, precisely that. they obviously have quite a lot of intelligence on the technical matters. but not on the leadership. and not on kim jong-un. we've been hearing that and talking about that for the last several days since this crisis has ratcheted up. i've been speaking to quite a lot experts, and mike cha noi

who has visited there 15 times who has met kim il sung, he feels that the sort of game has changed in north korea. that they're no longer -- they've changed their calculation. they want to be taken seriously as a nuclear state. and so the united states has to come up with some kind of way to deal with this. as he points out and as we know, sanctions, and the, you know, the punishments that have been inflicted on north korea haven't actually worked when it comes to their programs. i mean, they keep testing nuclear devices. and according to the experts, they do get marginally better at it, including their missiles. the united states is not going to go to war over north korea with all those consequences that it would have. so what's the answer? so after this crisis, which they believe will pass with the north koreans able to say, look, you know, we did this, we faced the u.s. down, we stopped the united states from, you know, invading

us, and invading north korea, then what next to avoid this constant cycle of back-and-forth provocation and who knows what. obviously many people have a suggestion that the obama administration should stick to what it said, president obama in his inauguration speech said we should have the courage to engage, not to be naive, but to be able to engage to resolve things peacefully. so some are suggesting name a high-level envoy, somebody needs to meet kim jong-un, and if the north korean system it is only the top top leadership which makes the decisions. kim jong-un, like his father and grandfather, makes the decisions. >> would it be smart, fareed, to send someone like former president bill clinton and former secretary of state madeleine albright to pyongyang? >> i think it would be a terrible idea. they've engaged in the spectacular display of aggression, violating their national treaties, vi lating

their obligations, threatening their neighbors. and what do they get from it? they get a high-level american representative who comes to pyongyang. it is exactly the wrong message to send. of course, we should engage with these countries, but not right now. you don't do it as a reward for behavior that everybody, the chinese and russians, have argued is provocative. the chinese premier made a very important statement, perhaps the most important thing that's happened in the last few days, saying no single country should be able to threaten global and regional stability. a clear reference to north korea. to my knowledge, that is the first time the president of china has ever implicitly criticized north korea. what we should do right now is make clear that what north korea has done, it will not get rewarded. far from it, it will have the international community come together in a consensus around it. at some point in the future, of course, it has always made sense for us to negotiate. we have tried, by the way. we did in the clinton

administration, we signed an agreement with them. even the bush administration signed two agreements with them. they broke all of them. they cheated on all of them. this is a country that right now shut down a joint industrial park with south korea, which was giving them $90 million, which was employing 1 in 6 of the north koreans in that city. why? nobody really upses. remember, this is a regime that has starved 2 million of its own people. it's easier to say we should negotiate with them. practically it hasn't achieved very much in the past. >> fareed, christiane, we'll continue this tomorrow. thanks to both of you. up next, our special report continues with north korea a paradise for smugglers.

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when it comes to north korea, the united states says it's, quote, fully prepared to deal with any contingency. but that's not exactly what our chief washington correspondent, jake tapper, found during a recent war game exercise. >> hey, wolf, it could be bombs away any minute now in north korea, with the latest intel indicating multiple missile launches may be planned. defense secretary chuck hagel said kim jong-un is coming close to a dangerous line. so are we prepared? that's not exactly what we found during a recent war game exercise. imagine this, the north korean regime is toppled, either because the u.s. or south korea take it out, or because of a coup. and the sufficient now has

secure troops to secure the count country's stockpiles to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands. it's a frightening scenario played out at the u.s. army war college, one that did not end all that well. the military set the scene for their war game in the fictitious land of north brownland. >> it was a family regime, nuclear weapons, lost control of nuclear weapons, the population was considered to be essentially brainwashed. >> reporter: a writer for defense news was present as the military officials debated the plans. u.s. troops, he says, had immediate problems, surging into the north korea-like country. ospreys zoom u.s. soldiers deep beyond the border but with reinforcements so far behind, they're quickly surrounded by the enemy and need to be pulled out. american troops eventually made it over the border but with nuclear sites located in populated areas, their mission grows more difficult. u.s. forces make humanitarian

aid drops to draw people out of the cities. >> the name of the game is as difficult as possible. they haven't really spent a lot of time or money modernizing their nuclear and chemical troops. so that's a big concern. >> reporter: it takes the u.s. a staggering 56 days, and a huge force of 90,000 troops to secure the country's nuclear weapons. seen by many as way too long, and way too many troops. >> we're not very well prepared to deal with a collapsed north korea. >> reporter: bruce bennett said his numbers run much higher. 200,000 troops. that's larger than the forces in iraq and afghanistan at its peak. >> we would have to send perhaps a third of our army to south korea in order to deal with the weapons of mass destruction. >> reporter: it's thought north korea has 100 sites linked to their nuclear and missile program. but with the shrouding of

intelligence, troops would likely have to fight their way through the country to find and secure them. >> north korea has about 1.2 million people in the military. that's a very large military for us to deal with, but they also have, according to the south korean defense ministry, about 200,000 special forces. and those special forces would be prepared to fight you like taliban or the iraqi insurgents. >> one note, wolf, the army today was quick to remind us that the fictional north brownland might not be expressly north korea, but could be any one of the 28 countries that have weapons of mass destruction capabilities. >> jake tapper reporting for us, thank you. north korea's buildup, it's built up one of the world's largest armies. so how can they actually afford it? a poor country where so many people are starving. in part, because the country is a smuggler's paradise. brian todd is here taking a closer look at this part of the story. you've been checking out the money. >> right, wolf.

they're telling us smuggling accounts for 10% and 40% of north korea's revenue. add it all up and you have a sophisticated criminal network that funds the nuclear weapons program of an unstable government. december 2009, a cargo plane is intercepted at a refueling stop in thailand carrying 35 tons of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades. it came from north korea, reported destination, iran. a flight that violated u.n. sanctions. april 2003, a north korean vessel is intercepted carrying about 300 pounds of heroin to australia. part of a smuggling network that experts say raises hundreds of millions of dollars a year, helping to underwrite north korea's nuclear program. >> kim jong-un really sits atop a criminal network that would make tony soprano proud. >> reporter: a network smuggling missiles, missile parts and other weapons, counterfeit american dollars, fake viagra, and illegal drugs like

methamphetamine. analysts tell us that the drugs go to u.s. and asia over land and water. missile parts are flown to iran, a spider web of shipments with ever more creative methods of transport. >> they also act as cowuriers. diplomats have been busted in a number of countries using their diplomatic pouch to smuggle drugs. >> reporter: former top cia officer bruce clinger who spied on north korea for several years lays out another smuggling tactic. >> we know they've used freighter ships to get the drugs into japan. and then when that became difficult, they were even using the semi submersible agent insertion special operations boats. they would send shipments out here, and then drop them off to be picked up by the japanese organized crime gangs for pickup to then go into japan. >> reporter: it's not just trafficking. analysts say counterfeit dollars and methamphetamine carry the

made in north korea label. this is the rust belt of north korea. the city of chonggin, in its depressed state has become a center of making illegal methamphetamines. they're made in chonggin, and shipped right across the border into china. >> reporter: creating meth addicts in china. i called the north korean mission at the u.n. for response to our report. an official there said, quote, smuggling has nothing to do with us, what is that? and then he hung up on me. iranian official also at the u.n. did not respond to the reporting that their country is a major client for north korean missiles. wolf? >> brian will have more on that story coming up. thanks very, very much. a nuclear nightmare scenario. the why the u.s. believes right now, north korea and iran may be working together on weapons. zap technology. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car.

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u.s. officials say the korean crisis underlines what they describe as one of the united states' greatest worries. that two of the world's most dangerous nuclear programs, north korea's and iran's, may right now be cooperating. here's cnn's foreign affairs correspondent, jim doherty. >> it's national nuclear day in iran. an official holiday. iranian tv proudly showed off pictures of everything from the iranian mining to processing, and iran's government announced the opening of the new processing plant. >> translator: nuclear energy is like sun, water, air and nature, it belongs to all nations.

every nation has a right to use it. >> reporter: tuesday asked about the iran's announcement, secretary of state john kerry drew a parallel to the situation in north korea. >> clearly, any effort not kim jong-un decided to reopen thinks enrichment procedures by building a facility that was part of an agreement to destroy. on going.

major powers to talks with iran. >> reporter: the plants or weapons. so while u.s. diplomats keep an eye on both countries, the pentagon is flexing military muscle. new, quick reaction capability to potential targets in the persian gulf meaning iranian drones or drill boats. >> no one has more leverage in north korea than china. david mckenzie is in beijing with a closer look. >> reporter: firing nuclear

rhetoric. armies at the ready. missile defense systems in downtown tokyo. who can bring down the temperature? >> there is one power that can end this story very quickly, end this, first of all, human tragedy of north korea and this incredible farce of regime. and that country is called china. >> reporter: china could cut off the fuel taps and food aid to starve the regime. but years of nuclear tests and missile launches, china's trade with north korea has increased, not decreased. >> china does not want north korea to collapse. they made that very clear. they consider it a buffer zone. >> reporter: the status quo is what china wants says author and journalist. >> it will be taken over by south korea, a country highly influenced by the americans who in effect have the u.s. western imperialism at your doorstep. >> reporter: north korea has few friends but china has always been one of them, putting up with their neighbor like a

relative. welcome the north's power and embraced his son kim jong-il. >> on the chinese government side, there is a lot of problems attached to maintain what he can call the traditional friendship between china and dprk. >> he says north korea's young dictator may have gone too far this time. there hasn't been high level talks between the two countries since november. so the threat of a nuclear north korea may ultimately bring the u.s. and china together. david mckenzie, cnn, beijing. coming up, an unsung hero of the korean war. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ]

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barbara star has the story of an unsung hero. >> reporter: in the winter of 1950, the korean war was tough going for often overwhelmed u.s. troops. here on the right, an extraordinary soldier who never fired a shot. and now more than 60 years after his death, he is severing the medal of honor. the nation's highest award for valor in action. for father capon, an army chaplin, the sole weapon, faith. mike dow now 85 was a young lieutenant. you still to this day keep his photo on the wall? >> yeah. that one picture is the one i like of him holding his pipe when it was shot out of his mouth. >> reporter: captured in november 1950, he met the priest as they carried the wounded on the long pow march's north. >> it was along the back of the stretcher that was in the front

of. and i said i'm mike do you liw, your name? >> he said capon. >> his nephew is accepting the medal in part for the men who were there. >> even though this medal of honor is for him, it is for these guys, too. they didn't want to die. >> reporter: stories of a priest rescuing the wounded. >> didn't matter there were mortar shells falling around him. >> reporter: mike dow survived being a pow because of farther capon. >> he was able to ingender a spirit of loyalty and meaningfulness to being a captive by resisting your captors and maintaining your faith with your country that enabled you to keep your will to live. >> reporter: the priest regularly stole food for the starving men.

>> he'd come around and say hot coffee and give hot water to all of us there. and, man, that was -- may not sound like much today, but that sure meant a lot under those circumstances. >> reporter: the enemy, the north koreans and chinese, began to fear the now ailing catholic priest. >> the koreans came in and told him they were going to have to take him to the hospital. and the hospital, you ask all the guys, the hospital was a dead house. >> reporter: but they couldn't save him. father capon's final moments with his flock of p.o.w.s as he was carried away, difficult even now for mike dow. >> he turned to me and said something to the effect, mike, don't worry. i'm going where -- i always wanted to go and when i get there, i'll say a